Nigeria’s HIPAA Equivalent: How NDPA 2023 Protects Health Data Privacy

In Nigeria, there isn’t one single law called “HIPAA”. But the closest equivalents that cover health data privacy + patient confidentiality are:

1. Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA)

This is the main equivalent to HIPAA.

• What it does: Regulates collection, storage, and sharing of personal data, including health/medical data which is “sensitive personal data”
• Who it applies to: Hospitals, clinics, HMOs, labs, health apps, insurers – anyone processing data of Nigerians
• Key requirements: Consent before collecting health data, data security, breach notification, patient rights to access/correct/delete their data
• Enforcer: Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)

2. Medical and Dental Practitioners Act + Code of Conduct

• Requires doctors to keep patient information confidential
• Breach can lead to disciplinary action by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)

3. National Health Act 2014

• Section 26: Guarantees right to privacy and confidentiality of patient health information
• Hospitals cannot disclose patient info without consent, except by law/court order

4. Sector-specific rules

• NHIA Act 2022: Health insurers must protect beneficiary data
• NDPR 2019: The regulation before NDPA. Still referenced for data handling

HIPAA vs Nigeria Equivalent – Quick Compare

Bottom line

If you’re building a health app or running a clinic in Nigeria and want to be “HIPAA-compliant”, you should aim for NDPA 2023 compliance + National Health Act confidentiality standards.

For international partners, many Nigerian health tech companies also adopt HIPAA standards to work with US entities.

— By Pharm. Adebayo Temenu